Aphrodisiac
by Porphyria's Lover
Summary: After the war, Harry lands in a world where he is a criminal imprisoned in Azkaban for murder of hundreds. His parents and Sirius are alive, he's a feared Death Eater, and Draco Malfoy is the only one who can help him through this strange new world.
1. The Agony and The Ecstasy

Aphrodisiac

By: Porphyria's Lover

Summary: Harry is thrown into an alternate universe where he has been in Azkaban for two years for being Voldemort's right hand man. He finds out quickly that not only are his parents alive in this world, but he has siblings. He finds a way to escape, and how will he be able to handle a world where the people he loves think he's a murderer, and his former enemies are his only friends. DM/HP

**Prologue **

Harry browsed the flowers at the flower market in Diagon Alley. It was October 31st, and he wanted to make sure he commemorated the occasion right, for the first time. He eyed the calla lilies and red roses and freesia and tulips, having no idea what to pick.

It was the first year he was spending the anniversary of his parent's death without having to worry that Death Eaters would follow him and kill him on their grave. Voldemort was finally gone, and Harry had spent the last year in a state of utter calm and tranquility. The first thing he had done once it was all said and done was leave London and spend an extended holiday in the Carribean with not a care in the world. The Weasley's had practically forced him to leave, at least until the excitement and the press had died down and not everyone in the world would be prowling the streets for interviews and pictures and autographs.

When Harry returned, he realized for the first time in his life that there was nothing left for him to do but live. There was no set path for him. He could do anything. And for the first time, he really had no idea what to do with himself. He didn't have to work. Everything he would ever need was given to him with Sirius' inheritance since no one else in the Black family was fit to inherit. He didn't want to be an Auror either. He'd spend forever fighting Dark wizards and risking his life. He wasn't about to make a career out of it.

Most of the past year Harry had been taking care of Teddy, spending time with Ron and Hermione who were busy with wedding planning, and avoiding Ginny altogether. He had realized during his vacation that perhaps settling down wasn't for him, especially since Ginny still wanted to do many things with her life, and Harry would only really drag her down into his peaceful little world where nothing could ever harm him again.

"How long will these last?" Harry asked the florist as he pointed at the lilies and lavender.

"However long you want them to, my dear," the older woman said, smiling gently at him. "What are you needing them for?"

"My parent's grave actually," Harry said, smiling when the woman's eyes turned sad.

"I can put an everlasting charm on them and if you buy the bulbs they will grow and bloom even in winter time."

Harry picked up the flowers and the bulbs, breathing in the scent. "I'll take them, then."

"Fifteen galleons, dear." The women put the flowers in a vase and the bulbs in a bag. "They'll look beautiful, I'm sure of it. There is always something mystical about lavender, I always say. The ability to put even the most stubborn person to sleep and dream the most pleasant dreams."

Harry smiled as he handed her the coins. "I appreciate it, ma'am."

A minute later he was walking up the street of Godric's Hollow, a small gardening spade in one hand and the flowers in the other. He approached the rock that turned into the memorial. He speared the ground around the stone and dropped the flower bulbs in, and placed the vase at the foot. He did the same to the graves on the other side, those of Sirius, Remus, and Tonks.

Then he took a seat and lay down against the freshly overturned dirt, looking up at the sky. He wondered briefly what it would be like to simply fall asleep and never wake up. After all, he had nothing better to do, what was the harm in simply falling asleep at his parent's feet, where he had always wanted to be. Never waking up, dying right there with his family close to him seemed almost like the best thing Harry could want for his life.

He realized how sad and utterly depressing it was, but that didn't explain why it felt so great. How could something so awful sound so great at that moment?

He inhaled the lavender and the lilies and he thought how perfect it was. Peaceful, elegant, and powerful.

He drifted off right there, once again wishing that for once, he could wake up and be in the arms of his family, because only then could his life really be perfect.

**Chapter 1: The Agony and the Ecstasy**

When Harry woke up he knew instantly that something was wrong. He had fallen asleep to the sweet smell of lavender, and now all he could smell was the stench of body fluids, decay, and stale, cold air. He had drifted off on the soft warm dirt, and now he felt cold hard concrete under his back. There had been clear sky above him, and now he just saw darkness, complete with the sounds of screams echoing through the bars that he was now contained behind.

This was something that Harry knew all too well. Hell. He wished for death and now he was being punished.

He closed his eyes again and hoped desperately to wake up. But after six pinches and knocking on his own head, he realized that he couldn't possibly be dreaming. He was in too much pain to be dreaming. Now that he thought about it, he felt as though he had been hit by the Knight Bus a few dozen times and left on the road for dead.

He picked himself up, and found that whatever he touched was coated with a thick layer of grime. In fact, he was covered in it, along with grey robes that looked as though he had been wearing them for ages and not once thought to clean them. His entire body was covered and he was disgusted with his own physical state. He had been thin before, but now he looked starved. His hair was lousy with lice and dirt and his hands had various cuts all over them and his scalp felt raw as though he had been trying to dig his brain out of his head.

He moved closer to the door where a tiny barred window was the only source of outside knowledge he had. He looked through, but all he saw was a fire. Apparently, a person would have to floo to get to wherever he was.

And then he remembered. He had been here before. Albeit, not for long, but he knew this place. He knew the unkempt tormented hellhole of Azkaban when he saw it. But he had never seen it from the prisoner's perspective.

But this must be some kind of mistake. What was he doing here? He didn't want to toot his own horn, but he was _Harry Potter_ for crying out loud! This was not where he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be in Norman Rockwell painting complete with Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, and maybe even Ron and Hermione having dinner, playing games, telling stories, and being content that life really was good.

He laughed a bit when he realized that nothing would ever be simple for him. Not even the simplest of wishes would ever come true for him. He was the wrench in every fairy tale, and that made him cursed. He was the cosmic conflict in every story, his presence only screwed up the fantasy. He wished for heaven, and he got Azkaban.

He pinched himself again, hoping that perhaps he really was simply dreaming. He didn't wake up. And he had given himself a sizable bruise on his upper arm.

He looked up out of his small little window and saw nothing but darkness. He wondered if perhaps he was in limbo for a moment, before dismissing it. Limbo was a place for people in transition, and Azkaban wasn't transition. It was eternity.

So there it was. Harry really was in hell. And the more he thought about it, the more he figured that it was only fitting.

As soon as he had convinced himself that he was the only true tragic hero, the fire burned green, and Harry heard voices in the corridor coming right for him.

Suddenly frightened, he hid off to the side of the door where the people couldn't see him if they were only peering through the window.

"Hey, Potter!"

Harry remained silent when he registered the hostile and angry voice. He didn't recognize it, so he didn't answer.

"Potter!"

Again he was silent. He whispered a charm on himself, and was relieved to see that Azkaban didn't seem to block wandless magic. It was very rare anyway, and Harry was happy to learn that he was one of the few that could actually perform it. The charm helped him to blend into the shadows of the dark room. Even if he was in Azkaban, didn't him being Harry Potter gain him even the decency of a window?

"Don't you try to trick me, boy. I know you're in there."

Harry was reminded very strongly of the way Vernon talked to him before he had gotten out of their house for good. His old habit of talking back began to resurface.

There was silence on the other side, as if the speaker was waiting for some kind of answer.

"Potter?"

Harry rolled his eyes. It was the worst day of his life so far and a man who was apparently obsessed with his name was the only person he could talk to.

"C'mon, Potter, get your food." Harry heard the rattling of a metal plate on the other side of the door, and it was being pushed through a slot close to the bottom of the door. But he didn't move. The food smelled horrible, and he wasn't close to starving yet.

"Taken to starving himself, finally." The man seemed relieved. Harry sucked his teeth. Some kind of gratitude for saving the world. He wasn't deluded and definitely didn't want a bunch of attention, but hatred wasn't what he was expecting.

"You alive in there?"

Harry waited out his comments. Since he really didn't understand what he was actually in Azkaban for, he figured it was best to shut the hell up and let things unfold as they must. After all, he was already condemned. Would they come in a beat him for being stumped for conversation? And then he began to hope that they would come in. If he stayed quiet and out of sight, perhaps they would come in and he would be able to disarm them and make a grand escape. He wasn't Houdini, but he had a fair share of escapee experience.

"Watch my back, will you?" There was a click and the _multiple_ locks on the door sprung open. It was too much to hope for, and Harry felt the hairs on the back of his arms stand up. The door opened slowly, and Harry saw the faint glow on the tip of a wand as a cloaked man entered. The man looked around quickly, but Harry was too far blended in the shadows.

Harry had to think quick. The man obviously had a grudge against him for something, and he was in no mood to spend his time trying to satisfy a man with a wand and an attitude problem. If he wanted to make it out of Azkaban and find someone who could tell him what was going on, he would have to break a few Azkaban house rules. As the man looked around, Harry crept towards the door. Seeing that the curious guard was also peering into his cell, he figured that this might not be as hard as he thought it would be.

With a quick leap, he tripped the door guard and disarmed him, taking his wand for himself as he pushed him into the cell and shut the door hard.

"POTTER! He's lose!"

Harry smiled to himself as he looked at the horrified looking guards that now tried to reach him through the bars. "Now, I'm not sure what you were trying to accomplish by keeping me locked up for no reason, but rest assured, I will be speaking to someone about this and then there will be some trouble for you."

The man who had been yelling at him before apparently didn't know when he had lost the fight. "Oh right. Go back to your Dark Lord. You worthless piece of shit, you'll never make it off this island, let alone back to your master. There's not one wizard in the world who doesn't know who you are! You'll be caught in seconds!"

Harry raised a brow at the man, but before he could consider what he had just heard, the fire began to glow green again.

The guards laughed. "Not so smug now are you, Potter?"

He backed up against the wall before the guards could see and transformed into a black raven on the ground. He flew up quickly into the ceiling, landing on a bar well into the blackness of the tall corridor.

He watched as the small space was quickly filled with guards and Aurors. Apparently, they could tell when a prisoner wasn't being cooperative. What, did they have some kind of a panic button under their robes?

"Where is he!" Harry almost laughed as people started shooting spells all over the place as a precaution in case he was hiding closely into a shadowed corner or something.

"He was just here! We saw him!"

"You two idiots! How did you manage to let him escape! He's been completely taciturn for the past year and you manage to break him out of his head long enough for him to plan an escape?"

"I swear, I just went in to make sure he was still there. He didn't even make a noise when we showed up. We thought somehow he'd escaped or something…"

"Well he has now, numb nuts! Where did he go? Did he use the floo?" The apparent warden asked as he opened the cell door.

"No! He ducked out of sight when he saw the flames go green and now he's gone!"

A few men ducked into the cell, casting lighting charms to check to see if he was still in there. When it was clear that he wasn't, they walked out again and began to check the area to see if there was anyway he could have escaped. Harry guessed that Sirius' escape hadn't taught anyone anything about how prisoners could possibly make it out of Azkaban undetected.

"He couldn't of apparated, the wards block it. He must have taken the floo, it's the only way he could have gotten out of here."

"Invisibility cloak? Like his dad?"

"Yeah right. I suppose James came up and decided to forgive his son for all the murders he caused and gave him the cloak to escape and they can all be a happy family again, right?" The warden glared at the guard.

"James nor Lily has been here since Harry was put away. It couldn't have been them."

Harry had to double-check his hearing. James and Lily? Alive? Visiting him in his comfy cozy Azkaban cell? He wondered for a moment if the guards actually knew he was still there and was just humoring him, hoping to get him off balance so he would announce himself. Harry wasn't falling for it. His parents were dead. Period. No doubts about it. What kind of horrible trick was this?

"He has to still be in this building then. No one else on any of the other floors has seen him. Scour every inch and secure the other prisoners. No doubt if Potter finds a way out he'll try to spring the other Death Eaters as well. If Harry Potter escapes here today, it'll be everyone's head, do you hear me! Move!"

Harry let out a breath as the room became vacant. Why on earth would he want to spring the Death Eaters, if there were any of them in there. And why was this happening to him? What had he done to deserve Azkaban? Harry pondered the thought that perhaps he had encountered a different place than his own. What other explanation was there? Other than he was sleep walking and ended up killing hundreds of people, resurrected Voldemort and became one of his followers. Oh, and let's not forget bringing his parents back to life and then promptly betraying them enough for them to not want to see him in prison. _That _made sense.

Harry made the conscious decision right there to lay low for a while and observe his surroundings before he made an effort to contact anyone in this strange place. He was never good with trusting people anyway, so it wouldn't be that hard to stay to himself for a little while. But he definitely had some research to do, and it started with finding a way out of Azkaban without calling attention to himself.

The only way out was through the floo, and there was no powder to speak of on his end. He floated down from the ceiling, and searched the floor for powder, but found none. They had at least done a good job at making sure an escaped prisoner couldn't get out on his own.

He decided to wait until another person came in, and make his move from there.

Harry woke up to the sound of the fire starting up again, and a cloaked figure entered the room. Harry had fallen asleep on his perch in the high ceiling, and he looked closely at the visitor, who took his hood off a second later.

Harry rolled his eyes. Lucius Malfoy. Figured his savior would come in the form of an enemy.

He watched as Lucius walked gracefully around the corridor, looking for anything out of place, and then into his cell with a disgusted look on his face. Once he was satisfied that with the lack of anything out of the ordinary, he tapped his cane once, twice.

"Potter?"

For a second, Harry felt compelled to answer. Almost as an instinct, which was odd for him. Somehow, he felt as though he could trust Lucius, and that thought alone scared him. He remained silent, and hoped that Lucius would leave and perhaps Harry could follow behind him while the fire was still green.

"Harry?" This call came a bit more hushed, as though Malfoy didn't want anyone to overhear him calling his actual name.

That was a bit hard to swallow. Lucius Malfoy calling him by his first name? It was as if Lucius knew he was still there somehow.

Malfoy seemed disappointed, and with a whirl of his cloak, he was back at the fire again. He whispered something and threw the floo into the flames. Harry dove at that second, barely managing to make it in as the Malfoy patriarch disappeared in a mess of flames.

Harry flew out as soon as he could find his balance. He was in another room of cells, a long corridor filled with insane laughter and screams. He grimaced at the smell, his bird instincts telling him there was nothing appetizing in this place.

"Oh Lucy, how nice of you to join us…"

Lucius walked with purpose down the hall, not responding or even taking notice of the people who were calling to him. Harry knew they were Death Eaters. The warden and the other guards were down the hall, watching the man closely.

"Find him?"

"There was nothing. But Potter is a very cunning young man. It is possible that he was able to make it out without detection. He always had talent when it came to not being seen," Lucius seemed to be recalling a fond memory, and Harry shook his head at the irony of it all. A laugh escaped one of the prisoners down the line of cells.

"Oh, don't you worry. Harry escaped. And he'll be back for the rest of us now that he knows how to get out without you idiots seeing him! My ickle Harry will come back for me. My sweet ickle Harry…"

Harry almost squawked as he recognized the insane drawl of Bellatrix Lestrange. She was talking about him as though he were a son to her.

_I have got to get out of here. Everyone I used to hate is now thinking of me like a darling nephew. _

Harry tried to ride the little air circulation towards the door they were standing in front of without being noticed.

"Shut up, Lestrange. Second we catch your little Harry, he'll get the kiss this time for sure. I'm amazed he didn't get it in the first place."

"It was his parents. Dumbledore had mercy on his parents. It would hurt them more to see him in such a state then for him to just be imprisoned forever. I kind of agree. I remember when he was still just little Harry Potter. He was such a nice and shy little boy. Whatever happened I'll never know…"

"It's the shy ones you have to watch out for."

Harry fell through the door, and hopped around looking for a quick exit. Luckily enough, the entire ceiling of this one was bars. Fine and shallow spaced bars, but it was open none-the-less. He could smell the seawater in the air. Harry flew up, and squeezed through the metal, careful of the fragile bones in his body, and he was free. He crowed in relief and flew as fast as he could away from Azkaban and quickly towards the opposite shore. One more moment in that place with people talking about him as if he was the fond grandson of Voldemort and he would have had to drown himself in the water.

It was too wrong. What could have happened between the time he took his harmless nap outside Godric's Hollow and waking up in Azkaban that had turned the world around him wonky?

He collected the information in his head as he rode the swells of the ocean. He was a death eater. He served Voldemort. His parents and Dumbledore were alive and condemned him to Azkaban. Malfoy and Lestrange were friends, and the rest of the world wanted him dead.

Was it possible the wish had tossed him sideways into a completely different world?

AN: Let me know what you think. I checked it over for grammatical errors, but it's very possible I've missed a few so sorry about that.

*PL


	2. Who Do You Think You Are?

Aphrodisiac

By: Porphyria's Lover

_Written for azzie adams. _

**Chapter Two: **Tearing Love Apart

Lily Potter sat her cup of tea down on the kitchen table as she heard the miniature stampede coming down the stairs. She waved her wand and three plates full of heated pancakes came to settle on the table in front of the other chairs. Three glasses filled themselves full of milk and silverware placed themselves around the plates as two children and a full-grown man came running into the room, laughing.

She smiled as they all fell into their seats, all out of the breath for one reason or another. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one vacant chair, but she pushed it out of her mind.

"What on earth have you all been doing?" She asked as the two younger ones started on their pancakes.

The young boy with messy black hair and hazel eyes had a syrupy grin. "Just playing Alice in Wonderland in the attic."

"Is that so?" Lily asked, glancing at James, who shrugged.

"They love that gag."

"Ty was being mean though. He always gets to be the Hatter, and I'm always Alice."

"Why wouldn't Julie be Alice? She's the girl."

"Don't argue, just eat. We have to pick up your stuff at Diagon today, and I want to get there before the crowd settles in," Lily said as she buttered Ty's hotcakes for him before banishing her own dishes into the sink.

"Can I get a broom today? I'm a third year now, and everyone else in my year has one," Ty whined.

"That's not entirely true," James said, laughing at his son's antics. "But of course you should have a broom! If you want to try out for the Quidditch team this year!" He said excitedly.

Lily extinguished his excitement quickly though. "How about we get your studies under control first and then we can think about you trying out for sports. Your charms and potions could use some work and I don't want another letter about you being uncooperative during Professor Snape's class."

James coughed. "C'mon, Lil. You know he's just being a ponce."

"You let Harry do Quidditch when he was a first year…" Ty grumbled, pushing his food around. "Why could he and I can't?"

Lily knew this was coming, but she couldn't help the sad sigh that escaped her lips. James put a hand on hers in comfort, but she pulled herself together.

"Harry didn't have your problems with charms."

Ty made a dissatisfied noise, but went back to eating before he ran back upstairs to get ready for their trip. Lily looked at Julie, who was staring at the empty seat next to her, where her oldest brother used to sit.

"Julie? Are you done with your breakfast?" Lily asked gently, nudging the plate toward the 11-year-old redhead.

Julie looked at her, green eyes sparkling. "Yes. I'm going to change." She ran up the stairs after her brother.

Lily collected the plates and put them in the sink.

James glanced at her, before getting himself up and straightening his robes. "Well, I'd better be off. Work's going to be a madhouse to, what with the fucking field day the Death Eaters have had these past few days."

Lily nodded, shaking her head. "They've been more reckless since the fiasco at Azkaban. Do you think anyone escaped? Is that why they're getting more excited?"

James shook his head. "They haven't said anything. I expect I'll find out today, but as far as I know, nothing big has happened. It was probably just a riot or something. No one's ever escaped Azkaban. It'll be fine. I'm sure they've got it under control."

Lily licked her lips, looking at her husband. "You'd tell me if something had happened, right?"

James looked regretfully at his wife. "I wouldn't hide something like that from you. If anyone deserves to know, it would be us."

He watched as she sighed and waved her wand, and the dishes started to wash themselves and fly back into the cupboards. "Anyway, we shouldn't talk about it in front of the kids."

"Ty says they treat him differently at school. Like they're afraid of him. The Slytherins don't bully him like they do the others."

"I think that's a bit of a blessing, don't you?"

"James…"

"I know, I know." James wanted nothing more than for their lives to be uncomplicated, but it was hard when their oldest son was the most feared Death Eater in history, aside from Voldemort himself. Even after two years since Harry was captured, people were still terrified of him. It showed in the way that they treated his family. Parents were afraid that if their children bullied Ty or Julie that somehow Harry could hurt them even from Azkaban. It didn't matter that they were estranged, and that Harry hadn't made contact or even showed any concern for them since he became a Death Eater. They feared him, and so they feared his family.

"Just try to keep their minds off it. Last thing we need is more questions about what Harry's done. Anymore details and they'll start being afraid of him," James said, pulling his cloak over his shoulders.

He kissed Lily's cheek and called goodbye up the stairs before he flooed away. All the time he was thinking, '_Perhaps they should fear him.' _

_No I can't take one more step towards you, because all that's waiting is regret…_

Harry's stomach started growling hours before he caught sight of London. It wasn't appetizing, but he started on the scraps that he found in the muggle dumpster behind a Greek restaurant. He ate his fill of pita bread before he had a look around.

He didn't recognize that part of London, at least not without some help. He flew around to get a better feel for his surroundings.

After making a remarkable escape from Azkaban, he knew that it would indeed be safer to stay in his animagus form. He began to wish that he had made his animagus form an owl since it would have been much easier to be inconspicuous in the wizarding world as an owl, but then again, he had never thought he would need to be hiding from anyone other than audacious fans and the current Minister of Magic.

It was pure luck when he found the London tunnel, which he knew was close to the Leaky Cauldron. He wasn't aiming for Diagon Alley, however. For the first time in his life, he felt that he would actually be safer in Knockturn.

He reached the back yard of the Leaky Cauldron, landing on a barrel that was apparently full of Firewhisky because of the smell that inflamed Harry's nostrils. He hopped up and down a few times, getting used to having claws for feet. It was the longest he had been forced to stay in this form, and to be honest it was a little limiting in the walking department. Not to mention how much more fragile bird bones were and he couldn't do his haphazard running around as he could do when he was human.

He decided then and there that the first thing he needed to do when he was back to his old self was to get a cloak. Preferably an invisible one, but the chances of that happening were slim to none. The second thing was to find out exactly what had happened to him that put him in a world where _he_ was the one everyone needed to be protected _from. _He had wished he wouldn't have to be a hero but that definitely didn't translate to he wanted to be the enemy.

The third thing—which he was still contemplating—was to find out more about his life here, in this place. He would have to pick up a paper and figure out what exactly was going on. He was a Death Eater. Who were his friends? Did that mean that his parents weren't actually good parents? Did they do something to him that would make him turn into a monster? That would be just his luck. He gets his parents but, dash it all, they were horrible and treated him worse that the Dursleys did.

And what about Sirius and Remus? Were they around? Was Sirius ever put in Azkaban and had Remus become a recluse?

Harry was still thinking when the back door of the Leaky Cauldron opened, and a wizard strode into the alley. He looked around first, spotting Harry the raven, but passing him off as just searching for scraps. He tapped the five bricks and stood back to watch as they separated.

Harry took that opportunity and flew into Diagon Alley, and felt an enormous amount of relief that it was exactly as it was in his world. The streets teeming with students getting ready for school. He guessed it must be late August from the amount of children and parents following them around with bags and cauldrons and books. He swooped low and landed on the sign for Flourish and Blotts. He observed the groups of students looking with awe at all the new things. Across the street was the Quidditch store and Harry thought fondly about all the years that he had spent in that store, buying all the newest and greatest equipment. Unfortunately, that brought back memories of Sirius.

Harry was desperate to find out more about his family in this place. One part of his wish had been granted, and he was going to take advantage of that.

He noticed that no one seemed to be worried that there was a Death Eater on the loose. Harry wondered if he really was that bad of a Death Eater that his escape didn't cause some kind of mad frenzy. Or perhaps they didn't know, and the Ministry was just as corrupt here as they were in his world. Sadly, that was also comforting that some things would never change. People were just as stupid here as they were in Harry's world.

Harry was just about to call it off when he noticed a familiar group of redheads making their way through the crowds. His heart leaped when he saw the face of Ron Weasley shoving his way close to the Quidditch window to fawn over the new broom. He was in Hogwarts robes, Gryffindor. He must have still been in school then. Harry had just recently turned nineteen before he left, and Ron looked like he was still seventeen. Harry wondered if his current self was also the same age, or in this time he was older than Ron.

Fred and George soon joined Ron at the window, and Harry was happy to see that in this time Fred was still alive.

Before Harry could get too wrapped up in his thoughts though, a scowl crossed Ron's face as he caught the reflection of someone in the window. Harry saw the streak of blond hair as Ron turned to glare at the boy behind him.

Draco Malfoy looked almost the same as he had in Harry's world, except he was a bit taller. He was on the same level as Ron, and they stared each other down in the middle of the alley.

Harry couldn't help himself. He flew down low right over the Quidditch shop to listen to the conversation being had.

"Fawning over the things you'll never have, Ronald?" Malfoy's voice was the same sneer it had always been.

"I'll have you know I have plenty of money this year, what with all the Death Eaters the ministry is catching these days. Better warn your father, because you know he's next."

Draco looked furious, but apparently he had thought of something that made up for the remark. "Oh, don't worry about us, Weasley. We're more than fine. In fact, I'd be watching the Prophet very closely over the next few days. The Auror Department is about to be taken down a few pegs. Keep that in mind when your father starts working overtime, won't you?"

Draco winked at the fuming Weasley as he turned and swept down the alley. Harry briefly admired the graceful way he sauntered down the street before he realized what he was doing and shook himself, ruffling his feathers. He looked down at Ron, wondering what Draco could have been going on about.

"What does he know? All he's doing is trying to make it seem like the Ministry doesn't have his family on the run," Fred said, blowing Malfoy's comments off.

"What do you think he means when he says to be watching the Prophet?" George asked, looking at his brothers.

"Watching the Prophet to see Lucius Malfoy taken away to Azkaban with the rest of You-Know-Who's helpers," Ginny Weasley said, coming closer after she heard the last of the conversation.

A dark look crossed Ron's face, and the twin's shared a look before laying a hand on his shoulder. "Nothing you could do about it, mate."

Ron brushed them off. "Got it. I'm going to get some ice cream. You coming?" He called over his shoulder as he made his way through the crowd.

Harry wanted to follow him, but figured that it wasn't the best time to be stalking his friend especially as a graceless bird. It was at that point that he really needed more information about the current events.

While no one was looking, he hoped, he trapped an issue of the Daily Prophet in his beak and flew off to the roofs of the stores.

Harry stretched his toes as he turned back into himself. It was nice having skin as opposed to feathers. He was beginning to catch himself straightening his features when he wasn't paying attention.

He cracked his back and then turned to the paper. On the front there was a picture of a burning house under the headline, '_Death Eaters attack with more zeal than ever.'_ Other parts of the story flashed in his head.

'_23 Dead...'_

'_...Aftermath leaves Aurors shaken...'_

'_Death Eaters becoming restless...'_

'…_Dark Lord calling for more attacks…'_

'_Ministry helpless…'_

'…_trouble in Azkaban…'_

Harry caught the last reference and turned the page, seeing a short article on Azkaban. There was no definite information, only rumors that something that happened at the prison a few nights ago, the night that Harry escaped.

_Well, _Harry thought. _At least I still have a knack for calling attention to myself. _

There was a list of prisoners that were in the highest security cells, along with implications of what would happen if any of them were to escape, which had never happened before.

The first name on the list was his own.

_Harry Potter. Imprisoned August 25__th__, 1996. Death Eater, Inner Circle. Highest security prisoner, guilty of over 200 deaths of muggles and wizards, misuse of dark arts, torture of hundreds, and assisting in the deaths of many others, including the killings of three Hogwarts students in 1994. _

Harry ran a hand through his already unruly hair. Over 200 murders on his hands? Torture, raids, Hogwarts? Who had he killed in Hogwarts? He ran a mental list of people he had thought about killing before, but he had never thought he could actually do it. His only thought was that it wasn't any of his friends. He knew how horrible he sounded, but if he had caused the deaths of Hermione, Seamus, Dean, Neville, or any of his teachers, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Then he remembered. It wasn't him. It was… that _other _him. The one that could kill hundreds of people and torture others and be friends with Voldemort and the Malfoys and get thrown in Azkaban and feel no remorse. That wasn't him. It couldn't be. This was some mentally messed up Harry that had no conscience.

Harry checked the date on the paper. August 27th.

He had broken out exactly two years after he had been imprisoned.

_Oh, what a coincidence. _

Harry barely registered the flapping of wings coming toward him, but when he looked up, his heart stopped.

"Hedwig?"

The snowy owl cocked her head to the side, as if wondering if it was actually Harry standing in front of her. In her mouth, was a slip of paper. The owl dropped it, and hopped closer to Harry, looking him over before squawking at him as though angry at him.

Harry reached a hand out, but retracted it as she bit it, causing him to bleed. "Oh, don't be like that. I've had a hell of a few days, you know." Harry scowled, putting his finger into his mouth.

Hedwig ruffled her feathers, and Harry rolled his eyes. "OK, I don't know what I did, but I'm sorry. The entire world hates me right now, it's only fitting for you to do the same."

But Hedwig chirped again, and seemed to calm herself. She flew onto his shoulder, pecking him in the head a few times before settling herself there. Apparently, it didn't take her long to forgive him. Harry patted her head and stroked her feathers before he picked up the paper that she had delivered to him.

He felt his stomach drop.

_Harry—_

_I have received news of your escape. Allow me to commend you for being the first wizard to do so. You deserve the fear that you instill in the world. _

_Having said that, I'm surprised you haven't tried to contact me. But you may be in hiding, I'm sure. Our mutual friend has informed me that you have the entire world searching for you, so it would be best for you to lay low until they calm down. _

_I welcome you back into my service, my son. Reply at your earliest convenience with Hedwig. She's been inconsolable without you. As have I. _

_Be well. _

_V. _

_You lost the love I loved the most…_

James appeared in the Ministry to see complete chaos. People were running every which way with frazzled looks in their eyes and he knew instantly that something was terribly wrong.

The second he stepped out of the fire though, all eyes turned to him. They all pinned him with stares containing terror, nervousness, concern, sadness, and sometimes even anger.

He strode slowly through the hall, trying to ignore the looks he was receiving. He went straight to his office and closed the door, taking a deep breath, wondering what in the world was going on.

As soon as he caught his breath, there was a thundering knock on the door. He ran a hand through his hair, and turned to open the door.

He let out a breath as he saw his two best friends standing at the threshold, but then glared when he saw the anxious looks on their faces.

"Not you too."

Sirius Black sighed in relief as he saw his friend in perfect condition. "Oh, James. Sorry, I just thought… I was thinking…"

Remus Lupin interrupted him with a much more calm voice. "What he's trying to say is that we were worried for you and Lily. Why are you so late?"

James rolled his eyes. "Don't get on me about that. Lily's taking the kids to Diagon today for their school stuff and I wanted to be there to see them off. Apparently, I picked a bad day to spend time with them though, since the last few days have been so hectic."

Sirius grimaced. "Yeah. It's been rough. And it's about to get worse."

James crowed, laughing bitterly. "Go ahead, make my day."

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks. "You better come with us. Kingsley's called a meeting, and you know that can't be good."

"Dismal, actually, but I figured that I should have a talk with you three before that."

The three men turned to see Kingsley Shackelbolt standing in doorway with a grim look on his face. Until he looked at James, and then the look became regretful. "I take you haven't heard any of the rumors floating around…?"

"WHAT! There's gossip and I don't know about it!" Sirius cried, horrified at the thought. "Say it ain't so!" He leaned in close to Kingsley and ask in a low voice. "This isn't about Beatrice is it? Because I swear on my mother's grave, that baby isn't mine!"

"Calm down, Black. It has nothing to do with your bed-hopping, though for your sake I would cut it out or you're likely to land in a bed with a Death Eater, and then there'll be some tears."

Sirius shut up after that, gaining glares from his friends, particularly Remus.

"No, I'm afraid this is very bad news. Worse than Black's potential alimony law suits."

"Azkaban, right?" James asked, and Kingsley nodded. "Finally figure out what the hell happened? The Minister's been keeping it under wraps. You'd think he'd at least let the Auror Department know."

"Well, this is a very heavy blow, and I would advice you three in particular to keep alert since it directly affects you, and the rest of your family, James." Kingsley gave James a meaningful look, and all the color drained out of his face as he realized what he was implying.

"Harry?" He croaked. Even after so long, it was still hard to say his oldest boy's name. All he could see when he said it was a little twelve-year-old boy begging for a broom since he'd made the Quidditch team his first year. Asking his father for tips on being a Seeker. Helping his mother cook, and wrestling with Ty and reading Julie to sleep at night after she'd had a nightmare.

"He's escaped. Wednesday night. They have no idea how, either. He fooled some guards into his cell when he wouldn't respond to their calls and they came to check if he was even still in there and he slipped out and shut the door behind them."

James fell into his chair, leaning his head back. He felt his body turn cold and thought for a moment that he would pass out.

Sirius and Remus were shocked themselves. Harry had been Sirius' godson, and his favorite playmate since he was a baby. Remus loved him as a son as well, and they both had felt immense betrayal when they'd learned Harry had gone dark. He had only been fourteen at the time.

"He hasn't made contact with anyone but our insiders say that You-Know-Who knows he's escaped. Harry hasn't contacted him though, as far as the inner circle knows. He's been labeled on the run. That's what the riot in Azkaban was about," Kingsley sighed. "Death Eaters think he will be their salvation. That if he can break out, then he will break back in and set them all free. We hope that's not his intent, but they have upped security since that night. James…"

James looked straight at the head of the department, already knowing what he was going to say.

"If they catch Harry again, there's nothing we can do to stop the Minister from ordering the kiss. He was being lenient before. People who have done not even half of what Harry has have gotten way worse than him."

James nodded, swallowing thickly. His boy. The exact likeness of him. More so than even Ty, was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it. And though he knew it was the worst to think such things, he prayed with all of his might that Harry would remain lost. He prayed that he would stay hidden, and perhaps they would never catch him. Despite what he had done, Harry was his son, and he could never think the worst of him. The Dark Lord had done something to him, and James wouldn't rest until he paid for what he did to Harry.

Kingsley nodded, signaling his departure. "You needn't come to the meeting. I'll leave you to it. If you need to take a day off, I'll understand. Until he turns up, there's really nothing to do but wait. I'll let you know if anything comes up."

After he left, Sirius pulled up a seat next to James, placing a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"What am I going to tell Lily?"

Remus sighed. "What can you tell her? Only the truth."

"I thought this was over," James cried, feeling the tears start to fall down his face. "I put him out of my mind for so long, and now it's impossible to ignore."

Sirius licked his lips, breathing steadily. For a moment, he was irrationally angry at Harry. Did he even care how much pain he was putting his family through? Was it too much to ask that he just disappear from the face of the earth so that he couldn't hurt them anymore? But deep down, Sirius was in pain as well. He felt as though he had failed Harry. If he had paid more attention to him, would he have defected? Would he have felt the need to seek the Dark Lord's attention? Would he be the angry and bitter child that he had become?

"This is no one's fault but Voldemort's."

James and Sirius looked at Remus, whose jaw was set and determined. "No one but Voldemort is responsible for what happened to him. There was nothing we could have done. We know as well as anyone how seductive the dark arts can be. How desirable power is. Harry was an impressionable 14-year-old boy. It could have been anyone."

"Yeah, but why him? Why is _my_ son the one he singled out? For once, why was it _my family?_" James yelled, bitter at the whole situation.

Remus gulped. He couldn't find an answer for his best friend. And just when he thought that he had gotten a grip on himself, he felt tears fall down his own face.

"My Harry…" James sighed, not even bothering to wipe away the tears. "Why… Harry?"

_Who do you think you are? Running round leaving scars_

_Collecting a Jar of Hearts. Tearing Love Apart. _

AN: So, thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate your support. I'll try to update as quickly as possible, and keep my grammar in check. If you see any blatant contradictions, please let me know. I'll try to keep the plotholes to a minimum. Once again, thank you!

*PL


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